Residents of a Saanich neighbourhood say they feel “betrayed” by the B.C. government’s refusal to fix a problem intersection near the McKenzie interchange project.
George and Vicki Blogg said they have been pressing the province for years to revamp the intersection of Admirals Road and Esson Road at the same time that they’re building the interchange.
George Blogg, president of the Portage Inlet Sanctuary Colquitz Estuary Society, believed the situation had been resolved when the province commissioned a review by SNC-Lavalin Inc. that suggested safety improvements to the intersection.
But Blogg said the Ministry of Transportation informed him by email that the proposed changes were outside the scope of the interchange project, which is now $11 million over budget at $96 million.
“We were pretty annoyed,” he said. “We felt pretty betrayed actually, because here we had been in negotiations and they had commissioned a safety audit and everything else.
“You commission these road safety audits and you spend good money for them, right? If it wasn’t in the scope of the project, then why were you spending money to address the very concerns and issues?”
The intersection at Esson and Admirals has long been an issue for about 200 residents of a neighbourhood bounded by the Trans-Canada Highway, Portage Inlet and Admirals Road.
In order to enter the enclave, motorists turning off the Trans-Canada onto Admirals Road have to slow to a near stop at the bottom of a hill to make a sharp right turn onto Esson.
“When I’m coming home, I’m always paying attention to my mirror to see what’s coming up behind me,” said resident Callayna Jardey, who makes the turn daily.
“I try not to come to a full stop because I’m just concerned if I had to come to full stop there’s a good chance I’d be rear-ended.”
In the past, most residents avoided making the turn altogether, preferring to enter the neighbourhood at Portage Road and Admirals Road. The interchange project, however, blocked off Portage Road, forcing residents to use Esson.
Now they fear the intersection will get more dangerous once the interchange concludes and traffic can travel unimpeded from McKenzie Avenue over the Trans-Canada Highway onto Admirals.
Blogg said traffic volumes and speeds are expected to increase. “The opportunity for an accident is just ridiculous,” he said. “It’s an unsafe intersection.”
The SNC-Lavalin report recommended adding a curb extension on Esson at Admirals to change the angle of the intersection and allow for other safety improvements. It also suggested installing a median on Admirals as a way to calm traffic.
Blogg said he preferred a second option that included a right-hand turn lane, but was “shocked” when the province chose neither of them.
The ministry issued a statement Thursday saying it has worked with residents since the project’s start and hired SNC-Lavalin to investigate the safety concerns. “The report identified potential upgrades to the Admirals/Esson intersection that could be undertaken in the future by the ministry or the District of Saanich,” the ministry said.
It added that other changes made as part of the McKenzie interchange project will “significantly improve” the safety of pedestrians and cyclists using Admirals Road. The ministry said the changes include a raised island on Admirals Road, a new cycling lane and a sidewalk on the west side of Admirals.
The ministry said it will monitor the McKenzie project to identify any safety issues after it’s complete. “As Admirals Road is under the jurisdiction of the District of Saanich, the ministry will continue to work with the municipality on any additional changes to Admirals Road,” the statement said.
But Vicki Blogg said the ministry has an obligation to fix the Esson intersection since the interchange has closed Portage Road.
“You’ve forced the traffic to go in a different traffic pattern,” she said. “So I think it kind of becomes your responsibility to make sure that’s safe.”
If it’s not fixed, George Blogg said, “as sure as I’m standing here, bad things are going to happen.”
Melissa McLean said she and other neighbourhood residents have put up with a lot of disruption for the sake of a project that will serve the greater good by improving traffic flows in the region.
“But I think it’s fair to say that we shouldn’t have to take one for the team in terms of potentially becoming a traffic-accident statistic,” she said.
lkines@timescolonist
